Supplier Spotlight
www.scenterstage.com
by Larry & Jean Greves and Khadijah Lacina
 |
This is an inside picture of the shop.
|
Your name:
Larry and Jean Greves
Business name:
www.ScenterStage.com
Where you are located:
Eagle River, Wisconsin 54521
First, tell us a little bit about yourself- your family, the area you live
in, how you became interested in soaping, etc.
Jean worked as a Registered Nurse, Larry in the Corporate World for 30
years. Opportunities for early retirement offered us the ability to begin
our business. Jean's grandmother
and mother both made soap- we still have her grandmother's original recipe that
started out with "render the fat"! (had no idea what that meant!)
and "stir the lye outside with a wooden stick". A little
research and reading when our children were teenagers and needed something
besides harsh chemical soap to wash their face with lead to Jean's first soap-
an Oatmeal-Honey-Goat milk soap -and over 10 years later she is still researching
, learning, and making soap. We decided to open our "soap shop" 4
years ago in our resort/vacation area. Our
hours were minimal- 4 hours a day for 2 days a week.
We placed a small ad in the weekly paper and people started coming.
I still remember the excitement of our first "customer"- and
she still comes every time she visits the area!! We always slip her a free bar
or give her a small discount. One
bit of advice- always remember your good customers and let them know you
appreciate their business!
Give us a brief history of your business- what made you decide to get into
the soaping supply business?
This is a business we truly enjoy and fully understand! There was no greater disappointment than buying fragrance
oils that sounded gorgeous in verbal descriptions, then to have them fade to
nothing after a couple weeks cure, or seize or separate expensive base oils
making the batch un-useable. All
our fragrance oils are tested in cold process soap- fully cured- and then the
test bars are taken out into the shop for "customer approval".
We don't tell them the name of the FO - just ask how they like the
fragrance, and ask their honest opinion. And we do get
HONEST opinions on fragrances!
 |
This is a picture of our storefront/supply warehouse
|
What do you enjoy most about your business?
Of course, Jean enjoys talking "soap" so customers that call with questions are always eagerly accepted!
What makes you different from others who may carry similar items?
This is our only business, we are committed to the fragrance oil and supply
business, and we only sell oils and products that we personally test.
Our building is totally dedicated to our Soap Shop, soapmaking area, and
a climate controlled room for the fragrance Oils!
 |
Larry in his Fragrance Oil room- packing an order!
|
Where do you want to go, in regards to both yourself and your business?
We want to offer the best customer service to our customers!
Orders that come in to us by 1 PM- generally go out the same day!
We strive to maintain high quality yet individual service to our
customers.
 |
|
This is my beloved Reggie- I know there are a lot of
"nuts" who are animal lovers- Reggie has been my constant
companion for 10 years- he's been thru a lot of batches of soap with
me! He was diagnosed as having Malignant Lymphoma in
early August and given 2-4 months to live-he is presently on Prednisone-
to make him feel a little better- but not expected to extend his life-we
did not want to put him thru months of Chemotherapy which would have
caused more anxiety and pain for him.
so......... when this article gets featured in the "Nutshell"
my Reggie may no longer be with me....... it will be a devastating day
for me-....... and I shall miss him tremendously! ~ Jean
|
Please share a recipe using your products with your fellow Soapnuts.
This is a wonderful salt scrub/body polish that is not so oily- the soaps help
"bind the oil" in with the salt.
Yuzu Fruit Salt Scrub with M&P and Liquid Soap
you can use anything as "a part" ie: cup,
tablespoon, small jar, pint jar etc
6 parts salt (I use pickling and canning salt)
3 parts oil-(can use any combination- my favorite is 2 parts sweet almond- 1
part olive)
2 parts liquid soap ( if you don't make your own liquid soap- you can use a
store bought such as "Soft Soap")
1 1/2 to 2 parts of melted ScenterStage M&P soap- ( I use clear- could use
any variety)
Scenter Stage Yuzu Fruit FO
coloring if desired
preservative- if desired- at recommended usage rate. Since this is a primarily
Oil based recipe- Phenonip or Liqapar- might be best.
Mix salt, oil, and liquid soap in bowl.
Slowly add the hot-melted M&P soap and use a
"stick blender" to incorporate into mixture. I drizzle the
melted M&P in and "pounce" the stick blender up and down in the
mixture to incorporate it. (real technical terms here!)
add coloring if desired (I add a little FD&C yellow)
Add the Yuzu Fruit Fragrance- just add little at time-
until desired strength is reached. I can't give a definate amount here-
because everyone will use a different "part" and have different sized
finished product!
Any more sage advice or witty repertoire??
One way we found to grow our business was to have business cards (you can do
these yourself). Put your name- email- phone number - website- Farmers
Market site- upcoming shows or boutiques- on them (some way for people to
contact you) and tape a generous size sample of your "best" soap to
the back. Give these away to everyone who walks past your booth whether
they buy something or not! I can
guarantee that someone will try it, think it is wonderful and want more!
And remember we are all "in this together"- someone may buy a
bar of soap from me while they are on vacation- return home and see you
at their school fund raising show- or church bazaar- or Farmers Market- and
remember how great that "handcrafted" soap is!
Larry and Jean Greves
www.ScenterStage.com
5145 County Highway G
Eagle River, Wisconsin 54521
toll free- 888-479-8535
M-F 10AM-4PM Central Time
|
